The Vision Advantage: Most People Don’t See Past Their Noses

Going to work tomorrow. The bills at the end of the month. The meeting next week. How much my next check will be for.

They have no vision of the future, no goals for the next 3-5-10 years — wishes, yes, but no goals, and definitely no real plans for getting ahead of where they’re currently at. Which is why most people stay pretty much in the same place for years. Older, yes, maybe driving a nicer car, got a raise at work, but still pretty much the same. Running a bit faster on the same treadmill, so to speak.

Your advantage is having vision: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Who will you be? What will you be doing? Who will be around? When you have vision you can see all of these things, even when none of them is currently present.

That’s what vision is.

You might be thinking, that’s so basic. Everyone already knows that. And you’re right — but how many are actually using it, doing something with it? Not as many as you think. Remember, most people don’t see past their noses, what’s happening right now and what’s about to happen next. And the more you actually use it, the more clearly you’ll see how few people, despite knowing this, ever make use of it.

A question I answered on Quora: How do you discipline yourself to react to disappointments? A: Don’t react (instinctive and immediate), but respond (time and space between stimulus and future action).…